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New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4146, 4 July 1874, Page 4

The City of Adelaide, we are glad to see, has had a smart run down to Port Chalmers, She sailed again for Lyttelton and Wellington from that port yesterday at four o’clock in the afternoon, and may therefore be expected in Port Nicholson in the course of to-morrow. The s.s. Albion, on her last voyage to Melbourne, appears to have been the first of the Now Zealand fleet that was “stuck up” by the health officer in consequence of the fear entertained in Melbourne of the possibility of importing small-pox from Lyttelton. The shipping reporter of the Age notes—and he must have done so in a spirit of irony—that the Albion “having touched at Lyttelton, where an emigrant ship is lying in quarantine, in consequence of small-pox existing on board, was detained in Hobson’s Bay until Dr. M‘Lean, the health officer, had made a medical examination. When it was ascertained that every one on board was perfectly free from all contagious disease, she was allowed to proceed up the river to disembark her passengers and discharge cargo.” Taking advantage of the absence of some of the officers of H.M.S. Challenger, on Thursday evening, some designing person, evidently well acquainted with the construction and contents of the ship's cabin, made an entrance by the stern windows, and carried off a box containing money and a quantity of valuable papers. The robbery was discovered late in the evening, but at too late an hour to admit of any effective steps being taken to recover the property or track the thief. In the morning, however, a party was told off to reconnoitre the shore, and after a short but dilligent search, the box, with the papers still remaining in it, was found on the beach near Pipitea Point. The loss of the money was more than compensated for by the recovery of the papers, which were very valuable documents ; and though every endeavour mil of course be made to discover the thief, his crime is deprived of much of its seriousness by the fortunate discovery of the box, winch would probably have been washed away by the succeeding tide had the search party not been actively on tbo alert. The Smith Combination Troupe performed at the Theatre Koyal last evening to a very full house in the lower parts, the programme being varied considerably from that of previous evenings. The performance, indeed, was marvellous throughout. To say that the Do Castro Family eclipse all acrobats who have previously appeared in this City, would bo to confer scant praise; and the same may, with equal justice, be said of Airec, whoso specialities are as distinct from other trapezians as they are distant from them in daring and cool intrepidity. Professor Saunders gave an agreeable variation to the programme by several tasteful harp selections, including a number of well-executed solos from the “Grand Duchess,” which, falling familiarly upon the ear, won a hearty encore. The ventriloquism of Val Voso kept the audience in continuous.

laughter from beginning to end of this singular entertainment, and a vociferous round of applause followed the ventriloquist’s retirement from the stage, Air. St. Vincent and Madame Montebello furnished some entertaining items, and the performance concluded with a third exhibition of athletic skill by the Do Castro Family. The company give an afternoon performance to-day for families, upon which occasion a special programme will be given; and on Monday evening they appear at the Odd Fellows’ Hall again, in consequence of the theatre being engaged for the Artillery Ball.

The long delayed report of Dr. Paley, who aomo time ago came over from Victoria under special arrangement to examine and report upon the various Lunatic Asylums of the Colony, and their mode of management, was laid on the table of the Legislative Council yesterday. We find the following in the Melbourne Age :—“ Some consternation must have been caused by a telegram which had been forwarded from Melbourne, to the effect that at the examination meeting at Auckland of a bankrupt named George Thorne, it was elicited that he had failed for a sum of £6,000,000, that a colonial bank had made advances to the extent of £2,500,000, and was a creditor on the estate for the whole amount except £1,004,500. An egregious mistake has been made somewhere, as the liabilities in the estate of George Thorne and Co., of Auckland, are only about £52,000. The Bank of New South Wales has a claim on the estate, and is opposing the bankrupt.”

There should be some interest in the following paragraph, which we take from a Melbourne journal, for the supporters of the “cremation” idea:—“A girl named Ellen Scantlebury has been arrested at Cluues on a charge of concealment of birth. There is ample evidence to show that the girl has been lately confined, but the body of the infant cannot be found. It is rumored that the corpse of the child has been burnt.”

The examination of candidates for teacher’s certificates was commenced at Thorndon school on Thursday, continued yesterday, and will be concluded to-day, but the results will not be known for some little time. There are twenty-four candidates, composed of thirteen females and eleven males. The subjects for examination are four, viz., English Grammar, Geography, Arithmetic, and History. In addition to these, candidates will be examined as to their competency to instruct children ; their writing and reading, &c. Cave and Co., who opened the whaling season last Saturday with a kill between Maua Island and Tetai Bay, have commenced unfortunately, as the whale has not been recovered. It is thought that, owing to the rough weather lately prevalent along the coast, the whale, after rising, has been earned some distance away, and probably washed ashore on some other part of the coast.

Athletes are reminded that a football scratch match will be played at the Basin Reserve this afternoon. Play commences at halfpast t*-o. Owing to the very disagreeable weather that has prevailed for the past few weeks no out-door sport has been indulged in, so that, should the afternoon be tolerably fine, a good muster is expected. At the Resident Magistrate's Court, yesterday, a number of drunkards were fined 5s each, with the usual alternative of twentyfour hours’ seclusion.

A meeting of the Education Board will bo held on Monday, at eleven o’clock, in the usual place.